Tips for new audio system install

kgornek · August 7, 2003

Hello all...

Well I have finally sealed the deal on all the audio equipment I want to install. Although I do have some issues and questions that I would ask about. So here it goes:

(2001 Tahoe all Stock) See sig.

1. Do I have to take the whole dash apart to remove the stock stereo and install the new? I know some dash boards can be quite a challenge and a whole days work within itself. (1998 Chevrolet Cavalier nightmares)

2. I want to install new (better) speaker wires from the MTX amp, but am not sure the best way to run them from the MTX 684 amp (under the rear seat) to the front/rear speakers in the doors. Any tips?

In your opinion, should I ground everything (radio/amps) in one central location? I've always had luck with this in the past but just wondered what the opinions were on this.

I'm thinking about buying the MTX amps and JL sub. from Ebay for the substantial savings. I know to watch out for tricksters and bad feedback goons. Do any of you have any experience with purchasing this type of equipment on Ebay? Part of the issue is that I live in a REAL rural location. (Not a whole lot of "authorized" dealers)

Any other tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I haven't bought any of the items on the below list as of yet, but plan on having it all within a month or so to do the entire install. Take a look and let me know what you think. I'm hoping that this will be a good quality sound system. Not going for the boom-boom here. If you thing it lacks something, please feel free to voice your opinion.

Alpine Receiver – CDA-9811

JLAudio – 10W3V2 (D2) - (300 W Dual Voice Coil)

MTX Thunder421D - Class D Amp for Sub

MTX Thunder684

Infinity Kappa 60.5cs (front doors)

Infinity Kappa 652.5i (rear doors)

01BlackZ71 · August 7, 2003

I just finished installing a somewhat similar system in my Silverado Extended Cab. And I mean just finished, we rolled it into the garage at 7:00 and got done about 2:30, which was about 25 minutes ago. Anyway, real quick, since I'm sleepy, I will tell you that without any tuning my system already sounds amazing, and it's only one 10" Infinity Kappa Perfect sub. I bought my reciever (Pioneer 7500MP), my XM tuner module, and my Infinity sub all off of Ebay. I checked around and found sellers with like 4500 feedback and 99.5% was positive. (CarAudioShoppe and Barney's Electronics were the two I used). Anyway, I was very please with pricing, shipping, and the fact that I saved a lot of money on brand new stuff. I would suggest, since you're going with Infinity in the doors, that you might check out some of their subs. So far, mine is incredible. I went with a Memphis MClass amp and with the gain only half turned up the sub sounds loud enough for me. I chose the Memphis/Infinity combo because everybody around here runs the same old Fosgate amp with a JL or Fosgate sub. I went different, and so far I think I made a wise decision. Let me know if you want any more info. Also, the only dash piece removed to install the deck, besides the old cd player itself, was the large trim piece that popped off and then back on in about 15 seconds. We then popped off the door sills and just started hiding wires. Good luck on your system.

kgornek · August 8, 2003

Well congrats on the new install!

I've been reading some reviews at sounddomain.com on the Infinity 10.1 perfects and ppl are just raving about them! So I think I will take your advice and go with the perfect 10" as well.

Sounds as if the Ebay thing worked out well for you and I have had others tell me to just watch from who I buy from. (feedback) So with the savings, I can't resist going that route.

Just curious... how did you feed the wires from the amp to the door speakers? Did you go through the rubber boot where the hinges are? Or did you use the existing stock speaker wires?

Anyone else got any tips or suggestions on the install?

GF7PE · August 9, 2003

ok I am here to give you all of the answers!!

those amps are ok...not much of a fan

head unit is a really good choice

infinity's are a bit over rated in my opinion

I personally would go all JL...for a little more you are getting a much better product and is stable at a wider range of voltages and can handle 1.5 ohm-4ohm

A JL250/1 for sub and JL300/4 for door speakers...the difference is amazing you will not be disapointed

door speakers I would go Boston RC620 front 25w-275w (i think) and Boston rm6 in the rear really nice combo

as far as instalation run all of your speaker and rca wires on the passenger side and the remote and power down the drivers side. You can punch a hole just under the master cylinder. The ground wires should be rather short. The dash just pops off, the outer most ring and the head unit slides out very easily. Speaker wire snake thru the rubber boot nicely just need a piece of coat hanger or the like and use it to snake thru, you can feel when it gets stuck and can manipulate the boot around it

what size wire were you planning on running?

also just curious what the prices were

kgornek · August 9, 2003

Thanks for the info GF7PE.

I've heard good things about the Bostons. Is there a good website to purchase them or do you suggest eBay as well? I've heard really good things about the MTX amps as well and never considered the JL's. But I know JL makes a good quality product and will compare the prices from my list to some of the things you suggested.

As far as the size of the speaker wire gauge, I really haven't thought about it yet. Any suggestions?

Here are the prices I had for the equipment on my original post.

* - Average eBay going price

Alpine Receiver – CDA-9811 $329

JLAudio – 10W3V2 (D2) - $120 * (300 W Dual Voice Coil)

MTX Thunder421D - $190 *

MTX Thunder684 - $250 *

Infinity Kappa 60.5cs - $299

Infinity Kappa 652.5i - $149

Shipping Approx -. $100

Total= $1437(w/ eBay)

ridnlow · August 9, 2003

check out www.cbrstereo.com.. that have some good deals..

Wingnut · August 9, 2003

I've heard good things about the Bostons. Is there a good website to purchase them or do you suggest eBay as well? I've heard really good things about the MTX amps as well and never considered the JL's. But I know JL makes a good quality product and will compare the prices from my list to some of the things you suggested.

As far as the size of the speaker wire gauge, I really haven't thought about it yet. Any suggestions?

Here are the prices I had for the equipment on my original post.

* - Average eBay going price

Alpine Receiver – CDA-9811 $329

JLAudio – 10W3V2 (D2) - $120 * (300 W Dual Voice Coil)

MTX Thunder421D - $190 *

MTX Thunder684 - $250 *

Infinity Kappa 60.5cs - $299

Infinity Kappa 652.5i - $149

Shipping Approx -. $100

Total= $1437(w/ eBay)

Bostons are I have the 4 x 6s in the dash of the Blazer, they sound better than the MTX plates that were in there before.

Wire gauges? Go here: Click MEEEEEE!!!

Just my .02

GF7PE · August 9, 2003

go to www.woofersetc.com

how is cda-9811 for $269.99

JL 300/4 $299

Jl 250/1 $299 bit more but worth it

boston rc620's retail for $299 so I 'm sure can get cheaper

and for the rears to keep in the price range JLvr650cxi $129

as far as wire size a good quality #14 is good for speakers other wize a low quality #12

power wire...I would run at least a #4 to the location of the amps and then into a #6's

dont skimp on rca cables get some nice ones

kgornek · August 10, 2003

Hey thanks! Great website and some great info! I think I'm going to go with your idea and use the Boston's over the Infinity's.

So I take it that in your opinion, JL makes a better Amp then MTX? I never used either one, just heard really good things about the MTX. Not to second judge your opinion, I was just wondering why you thought it was better.

I appreciate all the good info and your time to reply. Good stuff! Thanks!

GF7PE · August 10, 2003

A few years ago I had a set up that was mtx...amp and subs. Well my car was broken into and all was stolen. When I went to replace the stuff...a friend of mine went to work at Tweeter. He was the one who had sold me the mtx stuff from his previous employer. He raved about this JL stuff so I said screw it and bought some. Same amp size, subs, enclosure, rms, etc. I was absolutley blown away by the JL stuff. Sounded louder, cleaner, more crisp all around better. So ever since then I've been hooked. A friend of mine swears by Fosgate...so one day we were messin around and took my amps out and put in his car. He now has JL

Warranty is better with JL if the subs are matched to the amp also all made in usa

01BlackZ71 · August 10, 2003

You can ask 100 people what amp or sub to buy, and you'd probably get around 99 different answers. Buy what you like, what you can afford, and go by who you trust the most giving you advice. I went Memphis amp/Infinity sub and think I made a wise decision. I bought both the amp and sub strictly by the numbers, and they are all they have advertised. Also, I went with this combination because I got sick and tired of everyone telling me to buy a Fosgate amp and JL sub. I wanted to do something different, you know, out of the ordinary. And, just last night in fact, we were riding around in my truck and one of my friends hit me up to buy my amp and sub. I'VE HAD IT LESS THAN A WEEK! Talk about making you feel good, like you made good decisions. My other friend had his stuff stolen last week, and now he's going to replace it with a Memphis amp and Memphis sub. With so many reputable brands out there, it's hard to go wrong with about anything. I'm not trying to swing you one way or the other, just to let you know that you should buy what you want based on reputable reviews, good advice, and performance numbers. Do your homework and you shouldn't be disappointed.

kgornek · August 11, 2003

01BlackZ71 - Thanks for the heads up. I appreciate it and the homework has already started.

This project is going to be a while with the recent purchase of the rims and tires I just bought, but is definitely on the “to do” list. I'll let you guys know how it goes.

IROCMAN · August 16, 2003

kgornek, it looks like you put some decent stuff together. I also went with Alpine. I actually wanted to do the kappas but for the money they were a bit pricey. Definitely shop hard. Oh yeah, be careful with the internet companies like etronics and others. They are pretty good guages to get prices from, but they sell a ton of "B-Stock" which is all the crap that got shipped back and rebuilt (sometimes not even that). I am extremely anal when it comes to finding the best price so I researched for a while. I was able to get some good deals from a reptuable store that I bought stuff from before. I was able to save enough to buy a cap which will help keep the power flowing. Here's what I put together ( I can't remember all the prices):

Apline CDA-9813 - $329

Kicker KX600.4 amp- around $260

Kicker reference 65.2 front door components- about $140

Kicker K40 for rear doors-$???

VooDoo 1 Farad cap-$???

I already have a kicker 2 channel amp and planet audio 10" sub I've been wanting to put in for a while. The Planet Audio's aren't quite the name brand as Kicker or JL but their stuff is built like a brick sh_thouse and pretty reasonably priced.

I would highly recommend the shop where I bought my stuff from and they did mail order for me because I don't live close to them anymore. Not that I'm trying to sell them, but they have always been cool and give good advice. Let me know and I can dig out their number for you or anyone else.

Even if you don't get the same stuff as anyone who replied, take the time to match speakers to amps (don't necessarily have to be the same manufacturer). Match the power of the speakers to the amp. Underpowered speakers sound like sh_t. Spend the bucks and get good wire. If you are running 2 amps at least 4ga power and ground.

I'm going to try to put all the stuff in tomorrow and take pics then post. Good luck kgornek!

kgornek · August 17, 2003

Thanks for the info Irocman. I'm not quite working on this project yet but will be in the future. Like you, I am very picky and do a lot of reading via the internet and anything else I can get my hands on. So far, I think I'm really set on the Boston's for the speakers, Infinity perfect sub and either JL's or MTX for the amps. 1 for the sub (D) and 1 for the door speakers. (4 channel)

Right now, working on getting the new tires and wheels on and then I think the next project may be exhaust. (Borla) TB has it for like $379 or so right now. If I were single I would be buying it all at one time, but being married limits my finacial spending, if you know what I mean. Not that I mind though.

kgornek · September 30, 2003

Ok, I'm now ready to proceed with my stereo upgrade and start buying the goods!

I've done some thinking and am considering about getting the stuff professionally installed. Does anyone know a high quality installer in North-Western PA? I'm looking for someone that carries JL Audio and Boston Acoustics, and Alpine. Anyone have any suggestions? My zip is 16749.